


Playing Cupid

by okay_klepto



Series: The Many Adventures of Shiro and Keith [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining?, Pining Shiro (Voltron), Pre-Relationship, and Lance being an A+ wingman for Shiro, it's a lot of talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 11:02:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14259549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okay_klepto/pseuds/okay_klepto
Summary: There's no doubt about it: Shiro is in love with Keith, though he won't necessarily admit it flat out.  As much as Lance loves seeing Shiro completely malfunction when Keith smiles, he also wants his friend to not be painfully lovesick for the rest of his life.  So Lance takes it upon himself to make Shiro seem like a god among men to Keith.





	Playing Cupid

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this AGES ago and thought it was flaming garbage, but then I reread it and it's not so bad. So I'm posting it before I change my mind and let it sit in my abandoned WIPs for the rest of eternity.
> 
> And be warned, it's ALL filler.

   Lance and Shiro were eating their lunch a little later than usual.  The weather was nice, so they had decided to eat in the courtyard of the hospital instead of the cafeteria.  They rarely ate together due to their ever-changing schedules, but today was one of those rare days when they could actually have a meal with each other and spend a little bit of time catching up.  Lance always had an interesting story or two to tell from his time running around in his ambulance, and Shiro could sometimes join in with a story about an interesting patient he had had. Even if they didn’t talk much, it was still nice to have someone to sit with that wasn’t just there to hit on them.

   “What are you eating?”  Shiro asked as Lance opened a thermos, a delicious, tomato-y scent wafting out.

   “Tomato curry with egg on rice,” Lance said back, digging a spoon out of his lunch bag.  "It's vegetarian"

   “I didn’t know you could cook,” Shiro joked.

   “Neither can you, Shirogane.”  That put Shiro in his place.  It was true: neither of them could cook a decent meal for their lives.  Lance lived off of premade meals and dried ramen while the only time Shiro didn’t eat a sandwich of some kind was when he went out to eat.

   “No, but seriously, where did you get that?  It smells really good.”

   “Actually, Keith made it,” Lance answered with a big bite of food in his mouth.  “It was our dinner last night.”

   “Oh…”  Shiro looked longingly down at his cold-cut sandwich.  Eating with Keith must be nice, or rather eating tomato curry.  Yeah, tomato curry.

   “So,” Lance said between bites of his curry, “did you like meeting Keith the other day?”

   Shiro looked up from his lunch.  “Yeah, it was nice getting to know him at your place.”

   “Do you think you’ll get along?”

   “Yeah… I think.”

   Shiro was not a naive man.  Not everything flew over his head, but sometimes he had trouble putting the pieces together when it came to reading someone’s subtle hints, especially Lance’s “hints”.  At this moment, he had a feeling Lance was trying to get at something bigger, but he wasn’t quite sure what. He also knew that Lance probably wouldn’t come right out and say what he was trying to get at right away.  Why did he always have to be so odd?

   “I think he liked meeting you too, Shiro…”

   That statement made Shiro feel a little jolt inside of him.

   “Really?”  He said, almost too excitedly.

   “Yeah, and I know he really liked meeting Hunk.”  Lance smirked to himself. “They hit it off right away.  Keith went on and on about how nice it was to talk to someone about his job and have them understand him, even a little bit.  And thought Hunk was so funny. He really liked hearing all of Pidge’s stories, too.”

   Shiro took another bite of his sandwich then looked up to Lance when he stopped talking.  “Well, did he say anything about me?”

   “Oh, nothing much…”  Lance tried to sound casual as he stirred his curry.  “Just that you seem nice, but you’re quiet, which he didn’t expect.  He also mentioned how tall you are.”

    _What does that mean?_ Shiro thought as he continued to eat.   _How tall I am?  He didn’t say much though…_

   Lance leaned over the table a little.  “What about you? Anything _striking_ about Keith?”

   Shiro looked at Lance with hesitation.  “He’s… well…”

   “C’mon, what it is?”

   “He seems personable, easy to talk to, down to earth…”

   Shiro’s mind began to wonder.   _He’s also kinda cute, when he was falling asleep, and when he got excited about the music.  He was super passionate about school and his job. He must really love it. He didn’t brag about going to a cool college, so he’s humble._

   “Shiro~”

   He was snapped back to reality.

   “I’m tired of beating around the bush,” Lance said with a huff.  “I saw how you acted and how you looked at Keith. You weren’t exactly subtle.  You like him, yeah?”

   “Yeah, I liked him.  I’m sure we’ll be good friends.”

   “C’mon Shiro, you _like_ him.  You’re lonely, and you want Keith in your life.”

   Shiro almost choked on his sandwich.  “What!? No! I like him but not like that - and I’m not lonely!”

   Lance crossed his arms looked at Shiro, dissatisfied.  “You got a dog.”

   “I wanted a dog!”

   “A puppy.  A cute, little, grey Pitbull puppy who loves you dearly.  He’s adorable, but I know you got him to fill a void in your life.”

   “You sound like Pidge…”

   “So just tell me the truth.  You can trust me.”

   “Well…”  Shiro looked at his almost-completed lunch.  “Keith just seems different.”

   “I don’t want this to be you just scooping up the first person you see because you haven’t been with someone for almost two years.”

   “It’s not!”

   Lance smirked.  “So you admit?”

   “I guess!  I don’t know…”

   “I knew it.”

   “Well, what do _you_ suggest I do?”

   “I don’t know.”  Lance wasn’t concerned about the situation at all.  “He doesn’t seem like your type, though. It’d never work.”

   “Well, what makes you say that!?”

   “Oh, you know, Keith is sensitive and reserved, and you’re a real romantic.  He won’t be able to keep up with your antics.”

   “You’re making me sound like the bad guy!  And I don’t mind if he’s sensitive.”

   “I’m not trying to make you sound bad, I’m just being honest.  Well, now that I think about it… maybe it’s not that he’s not your type…”  Lance leaned forward and grinned at Shiro. “I think you’re not _his_ type.”

   Shiro looked at Lance with wide eyes.  It was far too fun for Lance to mess with Shiro like this.  Even though he had only met Keith a few days ago, it was obvious to Lance that Shiro was quickly falling for the new member of the group.  He knew both Shiro and Keith very well, and while they had traits that complimented each other, Lance knew of the many dark secrets that could potentially drive them apart.  Even if they never got into a relationship, Lance couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tease Shrio a little bit. That was just too enjoyable.

   “Well, what does he like?”  Shiro asked.

   “Oooooh, you know,” Lance drew this out for as long as possible.  “Keith likes someone who doesn’t worry too much, and someone who’s flexible with their schedule… Someone responsible, reliable, and organized… Mainly the things you’re… not.”

   “What!?  I’m flexible and responsible!”

   “Yeah, yeah, but you’re too concerned with little details that don’t matter, and you’re always working.”

   “But-”

   “Besides, Keith likes guys who will listen, and he’s a sucker for tall, strong, dark-haired guys, but who isn’t.”

   “Lance-”

   “Deep voice, built figure, dark eyes, thick hair, real masculine…”

   “Well, what about me wouldn’t he like?”

   “Let’s see…” Lance held up a hand and began to count on his fingers.  “You’re forgetful, worrisome, needy, you don’t respect personal space, you can’t cook for your life, you’re bad at listening, you have too much energy, you spend too much time in the gym, you’re married to your job, your apartment is a disaster, you get excited too easily, you can’t take a hint…”

   “Don’t be so hard on me, Lance.”

   “Oh yeah, and you’re also just a horny bastard looking for an ass to plow.”

   “I am not!”  Shiro’s intimidating and defensive demeanor faded when he accepted that there was a tiny shred of truth in Lance’s jab.

   “You just wanna get in his pants,” Lance teased.

   “Shut up!  I’m not like that!”

   “Sure, sure.  I saw how you looked at him, with _those_ eyes.”

   “Lance!”

   “You’re getting all defensive because it’s true~”

   Shiro grumbled as he stood, threw away his trash and went back to work.  Lance had won.

><><><

   The McClain-Kogane residence was quiet that evening.  Keith had gotten home late, so Lance had eaten by himself.  Usually, meal time was when Lance and Keith caught up on each other’s day, but with that time gone, it was harder for them to connect.  Lance washed the few dishes that had been dirtied after he ate, and Keith sat at the table as he used his laptop. Lance, being a very observant person, could tell Keith was not in a good mood.  A number of factors could have contributed to this change in mood, so Lance would have to work carefully to find out what the answer could be. Luckily, he had had lots of practice in the art of finding out how Keith was feeling and why.

   Lance dried the last dish and watched Keith type with incredible speed and accuracy.  How he has learned to touch-type with such dexterity blew Lance's mind. Keith was completely absorbed in whatever he was doing, so Lance would have to ease into a conversation.

   “Whatcha working on?”  Lance asked, testing the waters.

   “I'm typing up some reports to send to another branch,” Keith answered without losing the beat of his fingers.  “It's pretty easy really.”

   Lance ventured further.  “Did you like meeting the gang the other day?”

   “Yeah, it was nice to have some company for a change.”

   “Did you like everyone?  You think you'll be friends with them?”

   “Yeah.”

    _C’mon Keith, work with me._

   “Was there anyone in particular you liked more?”

   “No.  Hunk was cool, though.  He actually listened to what I said about work and could ask actual, intelligent questions.  That was a first. He was funny, too. I liked him.”

   “That's good to hear.”  That wasn't exactly the answer Lance was looking for, but it was a good start.  “Anyone else?”

   “I'd already…”  Keith trailed off as his typing slowed, and he looked at the documents in front of him with intense concentration.

   “Is everything alright?”

   “Yeah, just some weird grammar.  What was I saying?”

   “You liked Hunk, and you already…”

   “Oh!  I'd already met Pidge.”

   “And Shiro?”

   “He was nice.”  Keith went back to focusing more on his writing.  “Tall, too. Didn’t we talk about this yesterday?”

   “Well, you went to sleep, so I didn’t get to talk to you much about it.  I've worked with Shiro for a few years,” Lance commented, trying to keep the conversation alive.  “He's a good guy, y'know.”

   “I’m sure he is.”  Lance was slowly losing Keith.

   “He said he liked meeting you.”

   “Yeah?”  His voice was had a bit more life than before.

   “Yeah, he thought you were smart and funny.”  Then Lance knew just what to say to get Keith full attention.  “He got a new puppy a few weeks ago.”

   Keith stopped typing and looked at Lance with excitement.  “Really? A puppy?”

   “Yeah, a little grey pit bull.  He named him Milo. He's super cute.”

   Keith smiled.  “Well, maybe I like Shiro a little more now.”

   “We could go over sometime and you could meet Milo.”

   Keith sighed.  “I wish I could, but my schedule is full with meetings and orientation stuff.  Lots of paperwork and people to talk to.”

   “We'll have to do it later on.”

   “Yeah…”  And just as quickly as before, Keith was back to concentrating on typing instead of his conversation with Lance.

    _I tried,_ Lance thought.   _But he said he was tall… That must mean something._

   “You might see him at the gym,” Lance commented, trying to rekindle the conversation.

   “I might…”

   “He can lift a lot.”

   “Uh-huh.”

   Lance pouted, dissatisfied with his lack of Keith’s attention.

   “He always works out shirtless.”

   “Yeah…”

   “All the girls ogle over his muscles.”

   “Yeah…”

   “Tight pecs, rippling back, washboard abs.”

   “Uh-huh.”

   “And he has the biggest dick I've ever seen.”

   “Uh-huh.”

   “He told me he jerks off to the thought of you in a little school girl outfit with lace panties underneath, whimpering and begging as you're tied to the bed with a vibrator at its highest setting stuffed in your ass.”

   “Mhmm…”

   “Keith!”  Lance balled up the towel he was using and threw it at Keith, hitting him in the head.

   “What was that for!?”

   “You never listen!”

   “Yes, I do!”

   “Then what did I just say?”

   Keith's face dropped and his mind went blank.  He had not been listening. At all.

   “Something about…” Keith racked his brain.  “Shiro… and his puppy?”

   Lance sighed and rolled his eyes, turning to leave Keith to do his work.  “Not even close.”

   “What did you say!?”

   “It doesn't matter anymore.”

   “Lance!”  Keith stood up and chased after Lance.  “I'm sorry! I was working!”

   “Keith!”  Lance abruptly stopped.  “I’m trying to get you some friends!  The least you can do it listen and learn a little more about them.  Chances are you’ll be seeing these guys a lot more.”

   “Sorry, I just wanted to get this work done.”

   Lance frowned,  “... it’s fine..”

   Keith paused for a moment.  “If you wanted to tell me about them, why did you only talk about Shiro just now?”

   Lance’s eyes widened.  “Well, he…” Lance has to think fast.  “He talked the least so I figured I should fill in some holes about him.”

   Keith squinted at Lance.  “That’s all?”

   “That’s all.”

   “No funny business?”

   “No funny business.”

   “If you say so.”  Keith turned to go back to his computer.  “Don’t get any ideas.”

   “I won’t.”

   Keith continued to look at Lance as he processed something in his brain.  “You said that you wanted me to make friends.”

   “Yeah.”

   “And I should learn about them.”

   “Yeah.”  Lance was getting excited.

   “So,” Keith avoided eye contact, “why don’t you just talk about them instead of asking silly questions?”

   Lance smiled.  “You really want to know?”

   “I guess… It can’t hurt.”

   Lance’s smile grew, and he pulled Keith into the sitting room to talk about everyone.  He talked about how he met Hunk and Pidge in school because they took a mandatory literature class together.  They had become friends mainly because Hunk reached out to Lance and asked if he wanted to join a study group.  Hunk and Pidge had been friends since high school and had grown up in the area, so they showed Lance all the cool, lesser-known places to hang out.  They all worked out together, Lance doing yoga and aerobics with Pidge then some weightlifting with Hunk. Hunk had won some lifting competitions in high school and then college, earning him the nickname “Hunk.”  The ladies were all over him because he was so strong and sweet, and having that rich, tanned skin was just another perk. But he only had eyes for a girl he saw when he went from the library to his dorm. Eventually. he learned her name, Shay, and they started going out and have been together since.  Pidge stays up too late studying and playing video games, but she’s super smart. Her fingers always had little cuts on them from working with metal and wires in the robotics lab. Lance liked hanging out with Pidge because they were practically opposites, so they fit together perfectly. Pidge was just masculine enough to be able to connect with Hunk and Lance in that way, and Lance was just feminine enough to be able to do all his beauty and skin care with Pidge and still have a good time.  Occasionally Hunk would join in just for kicks. Then Lance met Shiro when he first got his first job as an EMT. Shiro was the “sexy nurse” at the hospital, and Lance met him one day when he got lost. Shiro worked with the elderly patients who had just undergone surgery, but he was often called other places to lift things or to help restrain patients. It was a bonus when you had such a strong nurse on staff. Lance later found out that Shiro went to the same gym he, Hunk, and Pidge, so they began to work out together.  Pidge was fascinated with Shiro’s prosthetic arm, which was kind of an experimental model that had been cleared by the hospital. Pidge asked so many questions and had eventually got into contact with the group that had made it and got permission to tamper with it, which later landed her a job designing robotic prosthetics. Of course, Keith asked how Shiro lost his arm, and Lance told Keith he had lost it during the brief time Shiro was in the military as a combat medic. Wars aren’t merciful, even to those who are there to help.  Lance went on to describe all the good qualities about Shiro. He told about how funny and kind Shiro was, all the volunteer work Shiro had done in the community, how he was strong and put others before himself; they were basically all the qualities and actions that would get Keith to fall head over heels for him. Keith heard all of these things and took them into consideration. Shiro now seemed like an absolute angel, not saying he wasn’t to start with. Keith was amused to hear these stories (most he had heard bits and pieces of), but it had been hard to stay in touch with Lance for the past two years.

   “That’s about it.”  Lance smiled and leaned back in his chair.

   Keith nodded and looked to Lance.  “That was more than I expected.”

   “You wanted to know.”

   “I thought that I would get an abridged version, not a play-by-play.”

   “Sorry I’m thorough.”

   Keith stood and stretched.  “Well, thank you for those many, many stories.  I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”

   “Wait!”  Lance reached out to stop Keith from leaving.  “What do you think about them now? New opinions?  Thoughts?”

   Keith furrowed his brow.  “Uh… No?”

   “Really?  No new feelings?”

   “Actually, yeah, I do have some new feelings.”  Keith turned to face Lance straight on, who was looking at him with eager eyes.  “You’re even more of an idiot that I originally thought.”

   “No!  Keith!”  Lance let Keith walk to the shadowy darkness of the hallway.

    _Maybe I helped just a little bit…_

**Author's Note:**

> aye, the end. Nice.
> 
> If you are interested in making tomato curry with egg, I used [THIS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3YwJTiisoQ) recipe as a reference.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated!


End file.
